VAUGHN!!
FEARLESS
Danny Vaughn - This couldn't be anything else but an opening track. It's an
anthem in every sense of the word. Complete with a giant, sing along part at
the end. Michael brought out the cannons for the drum parts. (I think he's
been working out). Lyrically, it's about befriending or loving any one that
you choose regardless of height, weight, color, status, religion, or any
other conditions that get placed on us. To live Fearlessly is to live
righteously and happily regardless of how you are perceived.
Michael C. Arbeeny - The second I heard this one I knew we had a winner. Has that WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS vibe one would hear at a sporting event. Gets the blood
pumpin and makes you want to turn up the stereo all the way.
HAUNTED
DV - This is one of 2 co-writes on the cd. My friend Darren Futch from
the band FLINT was my sounding board as I played with different ways of
presenting the story. A simple song about two people living in the same town
that are perfect for each other but never quite seem to get to meet. Plenty
of pathos here! There's a problem child on every record and this one was
ours. We kept rewriting it and changing it to improve it right up until the
last moment. All praise to PJ for coming up with the monster guitar part over
the choruses that I didn't get at first!
MCA - Another one that spoke up loud and clear the first time I heard
it. The album's production "PROBLEM CHILD" but well worth every gray hair I
got from it!! A sad song that reminds us love isnt sometimes fair. HUGE
chorus.......
FLY AWAY
DV - This guitar riff came on me one day and simply wouldn't leave
me alone. I would play it over and over hypnotically telling myself "I know
there's a song in here somewhere!". It's about my own life where, on a few
recent occasions, my wife and I have had to pack up our belongings and move
on from a place that we thought we would make our home. Sometimes fate has
other plans.
MCA - My personal Fave on the album. An airy riff and free-form rhythm
make this one move nicely. A melancholy story, but with an optimistic future
saying "Hey we gave it our best shot; time to move on"
MILLION MILES OF ROAD
DV -Another autobiographical one. I had a birthday
recently and I was musing on what has occurred in my life so far and what I
may or may not have learned. It's simple, but straight to the point.
MCA - Great anthem Realizing that, although you might not be exactly where you want, being where you are aint that bad either!!!
The moral I get is "enjoy the trip as well as striving to get to the finish
line"
WAS THERE A MOMENT
DV -This one is a co-write between myself and John
Liedersdorff of the band BLOWUP. We got together because we had a hunch that our styles would merge well even though we write different types of songs. We were pleasantly surprised. This was one of the most painless collaborations
I've ever done. Hope to do some more. Another short and to the point rocker!
MCA - Taking on different production ideas was a great and fulfilling challenge on this album. "MOMENT" pushed us into a modern realm that I really enjoyed. A more punky straight ahead approach worked like a charm. Cut 2 totally different tracks for this one to make it great.
WHEN YOU WALK AWAY
DV - I've had this idea floating around for a while.
Lyrically it's about confronting the truth of my wife's having been diagnosed
with a fatal form of leukemia and how we both were going to try and deal with
the inevitable outcome. I'm happy to say that she has beat it and is in
remission. But when this was written, the reality of death was very close.
It's deeply personal and I think Kyle's performance really captures the
loneliness of the song.
MCA - We had huge instrumentation recorded for this one, and after realizing the power of the lone vocal and the piano, we left most
everything out. In my opinion, Danny's best ballad to date. It takes you
somewhere for a few minutes, as any great song should. Also reminds me just
how talented Kyle is!!
DULCIMER STREET
DV - This is the only older song from a previous home demo
that got put on the record. Paul Orofino came up with the idea of a cool drum
loop like Peter Gabriel and we all followed with some really unusual
instrumentation. Definitely an oddball! It is about a mythical home coming of
a beaten Southern regiment in the times of the American Civil War. It's not
really pro south as much as it is celebrating the end of a long war and the
big party that follows! (although I think the party part is strictly
fictional).
MCA - Again, we experimented with different drum sounds and production ideas. This one found me with 3 dirty bath towels draped over the
drums. At first I had a hard time "getting" this one, but as the song
progressed, it became a monster. Great harnonies on the chorus.
JUST LIKE THAT
DV - One of my favorites. Straight ahead, American rock tale
about people that I most admire in this world. They live life on their terms.
Fearlessly. Also features a good friend, Lisa Bekker on vocals with me. Boys,
don't all fall in love at once!
MCA - We had too much material for SOLDIERS AND SAILORS, so this one got shelved. PJ laid in a great guitar riff, and this one was ready in 2 days. Another song reminding us that life is short; enjoy the ride while you can.
CARRY ME HOME
DV - To all musicians that are toying with the idea of
spending a lot of money on home studio equipment, it's worth it! When I
played all my new ideas for Michael with just me and an acoustic guitar, he
wasn't getting this one. So I spent a week working on my new Roland home
studio and presented everybody with a much more worked up idea and it was in!
It's got some really outstanding bass playing on it and is one of the coolest
grooves I've ever written. Lyrically? Hmmmmm... I think you'll have to decide
for yourself what's going on here. I think I'd been reading a lot of Carlos
Castaneda at the time!
MCA - If I may regress to the shallow depths of being a drummer for a second I can't wait to get a copy of the CD because I think this will
be my favorite VAUGHN song to have sex to!!! Just a slow, sexy groove that
builds to a fantastic chaotic ending. A perfect album closer.
MCA There you have it. Hope everyone enjoys this record as much as we do!!!!
